Well its that time of the year again so thought I’d post my top ten (or so) from the past year! 2007 was a good year. I hope 2008 is just as good!

1. The Diaconal Ministry Retreat in Carefree, Arizona!-What a fabulous experience.This was my first DM Retreat and I loved it. I met so many great people that I know will continue to be with me on this journey. It also was great to catch up with an old seminary friend. It’s so hard to put this experience into words! What a blessing! I can’t wait until the next gathering in Atlanta in the summer of 2009!

2.Since the Pastor I served with announced his retirement, I had a huge decision to make. After much contemplation, I decided to interview. I interviewed at a couple of churchs and was extended a call by the church I am currently serving. This new job has been such a huge blessing in my life. I definetely feel called to the ministry here and feel that my gifts are being used to their fullest potential. I enjoy that I get to work with all age groups, get to preach, etc!

3. Spending some time at Super Awesome Bible Camp and also getting to go to Sonshine with a good camp friend! I took some vacation from my job during the transition period to the new job and it was great to head back to the place I love so much. I spent the week just hanging out with the staff, campers, etc. Then later in the week, I headed with my good friend C and her youth group to the SonShine music festival. What a blast!

4. My new car! Yeah thats right…the 1986 Ford Tempo has been retired from my life. My uncle found a great car and bought it for me. It is so nice to have moved up in the world in the automobile world! I can’t even begin to tell you how happy I am to have a newer car! It’s a 2000 Oldsmobile Alero and doesn’t even have 30,000 miles on it yet! So hooray for the new car! And thanks for holding out for me Mr. Tempo!

5. Labor Day Weekend/My birthday! My good friend G and I headed to Sioux Falls for the LifeLight Music Festival. What a great weekend! We stayed at G’s aunts house and met up with some seminary friends! It was so fun to see my fave band Jars of Clay in concert. I even got to meet Phil Wickham and he autographed a pic with bday wishes. So cool! G and I headed back to the F-M area on Sunday. Then on Monday, we met up with G’s husband and some other friends for a Labor Day picnic. This also happened to be my actual bday. At the picnic, my good friend M had made a bday cake for myself and her cute daughter (her daughter’s bday was the week before). They all sang “Happy Birthday” to us and we blew out the candle’s together! It was fun to spend my bday with my favorite two year old and my seminary friends! Thanks for a great day!

6. New Years 2007! I am not a huge fan of hanging out in bars etc but this year I was able to meet up with my sister and her friends at a local pub to bring in the New Years. It was so great to spend it with my sister and way better than sitting at home alone. It was a fun way to ring in 2008!

7. Catching up with old friends. It has been so interesting since moving to the F-M area. I keep reconnecting with old friends etc. I’ve gotten to go to a few NDSU games with a good high school friend. I’ve gotten to spend time with some fabulous camp friends. I can’t even believe how awesome God’s timing has been in all of this. I am delighted to meet up with all these friends!

8. Starting the Super Awesome Bible Camp luncheons! My good friend B who is like a brother to me and I decided to give back to the camp counselors who worked at Super Awesome Bible Camp by making them a home-cooked meal once a month. It has been so much fun preparing meals for them and they really seem to appreciate them. It’s been so much fun!

9. Milestone Ministry Conference in MN. This was one of my first acts at my new job. The funny thing is that the conference actually was the weekend before I officially started at my new job! This conference was a good way to learn about Milestones etc! I met many people who also have lived with family members etc who live with bipolar/manic depression etc. That in itself was a huge blessing! I learned a lot from the conference. I even got to catch up with some seminary friends and even got to have breakfast with a new friend from the DM retreat. This new friend has become a mentor to me in many ways!

10. Christmas break! It was nice to get away, relax and spend some time with my family! I drove home Christmas morning and was blessed to have good weather. We had lunch and then opened presents. Wed we just hung out. Thurs my sis and I drove to see our mom. The trip was crazy but well worth it. When we left it was foggy etc, but the roads got better! We drove about 3 1/2 hours, spent an 1 1/2 with mom, and then drove the 3 1/2 hours back! It was a long day but I know it made mom’s day so it was worth. Just spent the rest of break relaxing and enjoying my family! It was fun to stay at the new house and see all the work that has been put in!

Well I hope you had a great 2007 too and hope you have an even more blessed 2008! I am looking forward to my 3 year retreat at the Mothership. Other than that, nothing too big on the docket yet for 2008! Happy New Year everyone!